Overview
Background
Dr Kevin M. Koo is currently a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Investigator Fellow and Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia (PCFA) Future Leader Fellow at The University of Queensland Centre for Clinical Research (UQCCR). Dr Koo was awarded his PhD (Dean’s Award for Outstanding Thesis) from the Australian Institute for Bioengineering & Nanotechnology (AIBN), UQ in 2018. His PhD research was on the molecular analysis of nucleic acid biomarkers in prostate cancer liquid biopsies (with a particular interest in fusion genes), and the development of associated nanotechnology-based biosensors to facilitate precision cancer treatment.
Post-PhD, he begun a productive postdoctoral career with dual industry/academia appointments: as the Head of Assay Development/Lab Director in XING Technologies Pty Ltd (a Brisbane-based biotech start-up) to undertake product development projects for commercialization of disease in vitro diagnostics, and as an Honorary Fellow/Principal Research Scientist at UQCCR to continue his academic research in precision cancer nanodiagnostics. His research skills and experiences are honed through dedicated career time spent in both academic research and regulated industry environments.
Dr Koo's research encompasses multi-disciplinary fields of molecular biomarker and nanobiosensor development, translation, and commercialization for precision disease management applications. Presently, he is working on the design and development of integrated multi-bioanalyte sensing technologies to resolve the various challenges around holistic disease pathway understanding and clinical biomarker profiling.
Dr Koo's research endeavours have been recognized by a Metrohm Australia-New Zealand Young Chemist Award (2018), Springer Thesis Award (2019) and Queensland Young Tall Poppy Science Award (2023).
Availability
- Dr Kevin M. Koo is:
- Available for supervision
- Media expert
Fields of research
Qualifications
- Bachelor of Biophysics, The University of Queensland
- Bachelor (Honours) of Biochemistry, The University of Queensland
- Doctor of Philosophy, The University of Queensland
Research interests
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Molecular Diagnostics/In Vitro Diagnostics
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Nanobiosensors
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Liquid Biopsy
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Photonics
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Electrochemistry
Research impacts
To date, Dr Koo's research has contributed Knowledge Impact by:
- Developing point-of-need nanobiosensors for prostate cancer-specific urinary biomarkers (Koo KM et al., Nature Reviews Urology, 2019)
- Progressing nanobiosensor clinical translation for precision cancer management (Koo KM et al., ACS Nano, 2018)
- Addressing key assay challenges around circulating biomarker detection in cancer liquid biopsies (Koo KM & Trau M, ACS Sensors, 2020)
Dr Koo's specialist knowledge in his fields of research expertise has led to global invitations for scientific evaluation. He is an Associate Editor for Frontiers in Nanotechnology (2022-present) and regular Peer Reviewer (30+ reviews/yr) for 20+ leading journals of worldwide publishers American Chemical Society, Royal Society of Chemistry, Wiley-VCH, and Elsevier. He is an international Assessor for external quality assessment (EQA) organizations European Molecular Genetics Quality Network (EMQN) and Genomics Quality Assessment (GenQA) (2022-Present), evaluating 20+ clinical sequencing labs/yr worldwide participating in EQA schemes for technical and regulatory compliance.
Dr Koo is passionate about science communication and outreach activities to impact the broader community, especially by leveraging his unique academic/industry track record to champion diverse STEM career pathways. He volunteers as an Industry Mentoring Networking in STEM (IMNIS) Mentor to motivated early- and mid-career researchers (3 to date) for career and professional development mentoring.
Works
Search Professor Kevin M. Koo’s works on UQ eSpace
2020
Journal Article
Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy for cancer immunotherapy applications: opportunities, challenges, and current progress in nanomaterial strategies
Dey, Shuvashis, Trau, Matt and Koo, Kevin M. (2020). Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy for cancer immunotherapy applications: opportunities, challenges, and current progress in nanomaterial strategies. Nanomaterials, 10 (6) 1145, 1-15. doi: 10.3390/nano10061145
2020
Journal Article
The role of circulating tumor DNA testing in breast cancer liquid biopsies: getting ready for prime time
Koo, Kevin M. and Mainwaring, Paul N. (2020). The role of circulating tumor DNA testing in breast cancer liquid biopsies: getting ready for prime time. Breast Cancer Management, 9 (1), BMT34. doi: 10.2217/bmt-2020-0003
2020
Journal Article
The growing impact of micro/nanomaterial-based systems in precision oncology: translating “multiomics” technologies
Li, Junrong, Wuethrich, Alain, Dey, Shuvashi, Lane, Rebecca E., Sina, Abu A. I., Wang, Jing, Wang, Yuling, Puttick, Simon, Koo, Kevin M. and Trau, Matt (2020). The growing impact of micro/nanomaterial-based systems in precision oncology: translating “multiomics” technologies. Advanced Functional Materials, 30 (37) 1909306, 1909306. doi: 10.1002/adfm.201909306
2019
Journal Article
Native MicroRNA targets trigger self‐assembly of nanozyme‐patterned hollowed nanocuboids with optimal interparticle gaps for plasmonic‐activated cancer detection
Li, Junrong, Koo, Kevin M., Wang, Yuling and Trau, Matt (2019). Native MicroRNA targets trigger self‐assembly of nanozyme‐patterned hollowed nanocuboids with optimal interparticle gaps for plasmonic‐activated cancer detection. Small, 15 (50) 1904689, 1904689. doi: 10.1002/smll.201904689
2019
Conference Publication
Liquid biopsy in cancer—getting down to the nano level. Can nano-diagnostics lead to comprehensive, accurate, and affordable biomarkers to improve advanced breast (ABC) care?
Mainwaring, Paul N., Grewal, Yadveer S., Koo, Kevin M., Anderson, Will and Korbie, Darren J. (2019). Liquid biopsy in cancer—getting down to the nano level. Can nano-diagnostics lead to comprehensive, accurate, and affordable biomarkers to improve advanced breast (ABC) care?. Advanced Breast Cancer Fifth International Consensus Conference (ABC5), Lisbon, Portugal, 14 - 16 November, 2019. London, United Kingdom: Churchill Livingstone. doi: 10.1016/s0960-9776(19)30638-1
2019
Journal Article
Engineering state-of-the-art plasmonic nanomaterials for SERS-based clinical liquid biopsy applications
Wang, Jing, Koo, Kevin M., Wang, Yuling and Trau, Matt (2019). Engineering state-of-the-art plasmonic nanomaterials for SERS-based clinical liquid biopsy applications. Advanced Science, 6 (23) 1900730, 1900730. doi: 10.1002/advs.201900730
2019
Journal Article
Watching SERS glow for multiplex biomolecular analysis in the clinic: A review
Zeng, Yi, Koo, Kevin M., Trau, Matt, Shen, Ai-Guo and Hu, Ji-Ming (2019). Watching SERS glow for multiplex biomolecular analysis in the clinic: A review. Applied Materials Today, 15, 431-444. doi: 10.1016/j.apmt.2019.03.005
2019
Journal Article
Merging new-age biomarkers and nanodiagnostics for precision prostate cancer management
Koo, Kevin M., Mainwaring, Paul N., Tomlins, Scott A. and Trau, Matt (2019). Merging new-age biomarkers and nanodiagnostics for precision prostate cancer management. Nature Reviews Urology, 16 (5), 302-317. doi: 10.1038/s41585-019-0178-2
2019
Conference Publication
Design and clinical validation of surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy nanodiagnostic technology for urinary prostate cancer risk prediction
Gardiner, F., Koo, K., Wang, J., Richards, R., Farrell, A., Yaxley, J., Samaratunga, H., Teloken, P., Roberts, M., Coughlin, G., Lavin, M., Mainwaring, P., Wang, Y., Gardiner, R. and Trau, M. (2019). Design and clinical validation of surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy nanodiagnostic technology for urinary prostate cancer risk prediction. Annual Scientific Meeting of the Urological Society of Australia and New-Zealand, Brisbane, QLD Australia, 13-16 April 2019. Chichester, West Sussex United Kingdom: Wiley-Blackwell.
2019
Book
Advancing Gene Fusion Detection Towards Personalized Cancer Nanodiagnostics
Koo, Kevin M. (2019). Advancing Gene Fusion Detection Towards Personalized Cancer Nanodiagnostics. Cham, Switzerland: Springer. doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-31000-4
2019
Journal Article
Phosphoprotein biosensors for monitoring pathological protein structural changes
Ahmed, Mostak, Koo, Kevin M., Mainwaring, Paul N., Carrascosa, Laura G. and Trau, Matt (2019). Phosphoprotein biosensors for monitoring pathological protein structural changes. Trends in Biotechnology, 38 (5), 519-531. doi: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2019.11.006
2018
Journal Article
An integrated multi-molecular sensor for simultaneous BRAFV600E protein and DNA single point mutation detection in circulating tumour cells
Dey, Shuvashis, Koo, Kevin, Wang, Zhaoran, Sina, Abu Ali Ibn, Wuethrich, Alain and Trau, Matt (2018). An integrated multi-molecular sensor for simultaneous BRAFV600E protein and DNA single point mutation detection in circulating tumour cells. Lab on a Chip, 19 (5), 738-748. doi: 10.1039/c8lc00991k
2018
Journal Article
A sample-to-targeted gene analysis biochip for nanofluidic manipulation of solid-phase circulating tumor nucleic acid amplification in liquid biopsies
Koo, Kevin M., Dey, Shuvashis and Trau, Matt (2018). A sample-to-targeted gene analysis biochip for nanofluidic manipulation of solid-phase circulating tumor nucleic acid amplification in liquid biopsies. ACS Sensors, 3 (12) acssensors.8b01011, 2597-2603. doi: 10.1021/acssensors.8b01011
2018
Journal Article
"Mix-to-go" silver colloidal strategy for prostate cancer molecular profiling and risk prediction
Wang, Jing, Koo, Kevin M., Wang, Yuling and Trau, Matt (2018). "Mix-to-go" silver colloidal strategy for prostate cancer molecular profiling and risk prediction. Analytical Chemistry, 90 (21), 12698-12705. doi: 10.1021/acs.analchem.8b02959
2018
Other Outputs
Advancing Gene Fusion Detection towards Personalized Cancer Nanodiagnostics
Koo, Maisheng (2018). Advancing Gene Fusion Detection towards Personalized Cancer Nanodiagnostics. PhD Thesis, The Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN), The University of Queensland. doi: 10.14264/uql.2018.716
2018
Journal Article
Design and clinical verification of surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy diagnostic technology for individual cancer risk prediction
Koo, Kevin M., Wang, Jing, Richards, Renée S., Farrell, Aine, Yaxley, John W., Samaratunga, Hema, Teloken, Patrick E., Roberts, Matthew J., Coughlin, Geoffrey D., Lavin, Martin F., Mainwaring, Paul N., Wang, Yuling, Gardiner, Robert A. and Trau, Matt (2018). Design and clinical verification of surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy diagnostic technology for individual cancer risk prediction. ACS Nano, 12 (8), 8362-8371. doi: 10.1021/acsnano.8b03698
2018
Journal Article
Amplification-free multi-RNA-type profiling for cancer risk stratification via alternating current electrohydrodynamic nanomixing
Koo, Kevin M., Dey, Shuvashis and Trau, Matt (2018). Amplification-free multi-RNA-type profiling for cancer risk stratification via alternating current electrohydrodynamic nanomixing. Small, 14 (17) 1704025, e1704025. doi: 10.1002/smll.201704025
2018
Journal Article
Adjustable fluidic nanomixing: amplification-free multi-RNA-type profiling for cancer risk stratification via alternating current electrohydrodynamic nanomixing (Small 17/2018)
Koo, Kevin M., Dey, Shuvashis and Trau, Matt (2018). Adjustable fluidic nanomixing: amplification-free multi-RNA-type profiling for cancer risk stratification via alternating current electrohydrodynamic nanomixing (Small 17/2018). Small, 14 (17) 1870075. doi: 10.1002/smll.201870075
2018
Book Chapter
Interfacial biosensing: direct biosensing of biomolecules at the bare metal interface
Ibn Sina, A. A., Koo, K. M., Ahmed, M., Carrascosa, L. G. and Trau, M. (2018). Interfacial biosensing: direct biosensing of biomolecules at the bare metal interface. Encyclopedia of interfacial chemistry: surface science and electrochemistry. (pp. 269-277) Amsterdam: Elsevier. doi: 10.1016/b978-0-12-409547-2.14188-5
2017
Journal Article
Enabling miniaturised personalised diagnostics: from lab-on-a-chip to lab-in-a-drop
Koo, Kevin M., Wee, Eugene J. H., Wang, Yuling and Trau, Matt (2017). Enabling miniaturised personalised diagnostics: from lab-on-a-chip to lab-in-a-drop. Lab On a Chip, 17 (19), 3200-3220. doi: 10.1039/c7lc00587c
Funding
Current funding
Past funding
Supervision
Availability
- Dr Kevin M. Koo is:
- Available for supervision
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Available projects
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Development of a Novel Molecular Manipulation Technique for Multi-Bioanalyte Cancer Profiling
At present, DNA/RNA and protein detection require different assay workflows to be performed. This demands multiple assay workflows to be performed for multi-bioanalyte analysis, leading to prolonged analysis time for results and high assay running costs. In particular, the typical enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for protein detection generally requires at least a two-day workflow and has limited detection sensitivity.
The core concept of this PhD research project is to develop an innovative molecular manipulation method to rapidly transform a single immunological interaction into an amplified molecular signal, as equivalent to polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method for DNA/RNA detection. Successful project outcomes will enable a single workflow for multi-bioanalyte prostate cancer analysis.
The Advisory Team aims to provide a supportive high-level research environment for the prospective PhD candidate to flourish. This PhD project will provide opportunities to achieve significant research outputs and skills for a scientific career in academia/industry upon graduating.
Media
Enquiries
Contact Dr Kevin M. Koo directly for media enquiries about:
- Cancer Detection
- Cancer Monitoring
- Nanobiotechnology
- Precision Diagnostics
- Prostate Cancer
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